Von: Dr Alex Sandor Kolozsy C.D.V.A [mailto:askolozsy@kolozsy.com.au]
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 24. Oktober 2007 23:45
An: Kutasi József
Betreff: 4./-LETTER TO POPE BENEDICT XVI, to request a Hungarian speaking Catholic Priest for the Csango Hungarians in Moldova.
To His Holiness the Pope Benedict XVI
The Vatican
Italy Friday 29th April, 2005
Most Holy Father,
REQUEST FOR HUNGARIAN SPEAKING CATHOLIC PRIEST
FOR THE CSANGO HUNGARIANS IN MOLDOVA.(RUMANIA)
First of all please accept my sincere good wishes for Your Holiness selection as The Pope under Holy Spirit guidance! I am asking the Good Lord to bless Your Holiness and the work and provide good health, strength and wisdom, so on this earth with its chaos, battles and turmoil, unlucky people and nations can turn to Your Holiness for solving their problems with wise decisions.
And now, as I remember the struggles and evils of this world, I would like to draw Your Holiness attention to middle Europe, Rumania, the Carpathian Mountains East side slopes- to the Moldovan Csango Hungarians, with over more than 1000 years of ancient Hungarian history. Even today, in their own Catholic Churches they are not allowed to pray or worship God in their Hungarian language mother tongue.
This area was not part of Hungarian territory, but just outside the borders. However Moldovan Hungarians have lived there for over 1000 years, during 1800's the population reached 450,000 people, today still around 250,000.
According to the chauvinistic Rumanian authority, since 1864 newly created Rumania, "Rumania is only for the Rumanians." "Mare Rumania"..." is the dream of Great Rumania which means that everything not Rumanian must perish."
Rumanians follow the Greek Orthodox but the Moldovan Csango are traditionally Catholic. Even today we find that between the Rumanian speaking Catholic Priests, some of them also local Renegade Csango Hungarian origin, but all still faithfully serve the Rumanian Government, so terrorize the Moldovan Csango Hungarian population. In spite of this persecution these faithful Catholic followers have never given up the hope, faith and love for their Church and for their own language, Hungarian.
To help overcome this problem, during the last several years the Csango make a religious pilgrimage in large numbers. Carrying the crucifix, flags and painted saints in a traditional Catholic procession, they climb over the Eastern Carpathian mountains into the Szekely (Hungarian) villages of Transylvania, such as "Csiksolyom," where among very large crowds from the various parts of large Hungary and from exile, the faithful gather to spend days in prayer, songs, worship in their native Hungarian language with Hungarian speaking Priests.
Unfortunately on their return to their homes and villages in Moldova, when they attend Church, they are ridiculed and humiliated by the Rumanian speaking Priests and Church hierarchy in the "JASI Diocese," in front of other Church members, they are accused and cursed, some are excommunicated, told that " whoever has been part of this Hungarian Catholic Pilgrimage in Csiksolyom are all children of the Devil/ Satan!"
In spite of appealing to the Holy Father in the 1980's and 1990's as well as the Csango Hungarian leaders sending numerous Petitions to The Vatican , requesting a Hungarian speaking Priest to say the Mass and give Communion, so they can freely praise the Lord in their own language, in their own Churches, not one positive reply has yet been forthcoming from The Vatican. Unfortunately it is apparant that The Vatican accepts the word of the Rumanian Catholic Priests and Church leaders, who answer only to Bucharest. One of the standard replies to all of us,
"From recent surveys, it appears that the priests, seminarians and faithful "Csango" claim to be Roumanians and do not want religious care in the Hungarian language."
Dear Holy Father,
I appeal for your compassion for these sad people, who are continually facing racial and religious discrimination. At the beginning of this new Century as Rumania is ready to join the European Union, surely the Csango are entitled to the same human rights, to freely worship God in their own language. I intreat you to please look at the website www.csango.ro which I have recently seen. These Csango are not Rumanian by race! They have always been and still are Hungarian origin! On their website one can see their villages, culture, folk costumes, Hungarian language and they are still appealing to The Vatican for a Priest in their own native Hungarian language.
In recent years some Hungarian speaking Catholic Priests from various parts of Hungary and Transylvania have volunteered from time to time to visit the Csango Hungarian villages in Moldova and hold services in private properties, which is not legal, but these people are desperate for worship in their own language so prepared to risk persecution and harassment from the Church Leaders and Rumanian Authorities. One of those outstanding persons is a very dedicated Hungarian Fransican Monk Father Bojte Csaba, who comes from my own birth city of Kolozsvar, Klausenburg or Napoca (today). With general Hungarian support worldwide, Father Bojte has already established a Sunday School in Hungarian language in Transylvania, Deva, Parajd for the Hungarian children and orphans. He is working very hard to establish the same for the Hungarian speaking Csango children at Moldova.
I am asking Your Holiness to pray for them and send Your blessings. Please come to the aid of these faithful Catholic followers, who only ask for a Catholic Hungarian speaking Priest for religious instruction, prayers and Communion in their Hungarian mother tongue, which will strengthen and increase the Catholic Church in Moldova!!!
Respectfully Yours,
Dr. Alex Sandor Kolozsy, C.D.V.A.
Sculptor
President of the Transylvanian World Federation, Sydney Branch.
Please study the attached document.
THE HISTORY OF THE CSANGO HUNGARIANS IN MOLDOVA (RUMANIA)